Exam Tips: Moving Up the Levels

🎯 What Examiners Say About Each Level

Level 2 (simple, 5-10 marks): "Identifies similarities and/or differences with simple comment on the effect of writers’ choices." — This means: you notice a difference but cannot explain why it matters.

Level 4 (clear, 16-20 marks): "Explains clearly how both poets use language, structure or form to present [theme], with clear explanation of the effects of writers’ methods." — This means: your analysis of technique is explained, not just named.

Level 6 (perceptive, 26-30 marks): "Perceptive, detailed analysis of the effects of the writers’ methods, with convincing and insightful comparisons." — This means: every comparison illuminates something about how both poets construct meaning, and the connections you draw are not obvious.

📝 The One Key Command Word

The command word is always compare or compare how. This tells you the comparison must be explicit — stated in your writing, not implied by placing two poems next to each other. Check every paragraph opening: does it contain a comparative connective? If it begins "Owen presents..." with no mention of the second poet until later, you are not yet comparing.

⚠️ The Most Common Mark-Limiting Moves

• Opening with a poem summary instead of a comparative claim
• Writing about one poem for three full paragraphs before mentioning the second
• Using a technique label without explaining the effect it creates ("Owen uses enjambment" — so what does it do?)
• Giving AO3 context its own paragraph — embed context in analysis ("Writing in 1917 during active service, Owen...")
• Choosing a second poem you know nothing about — always choose by quote availability